California's Proposition 8, banning same-sex marriage, passed 52.5% to 47.5%.  I think that's a setback for our country.  It's not difficult to figure out why many conservatives oppose gay marriage.  A lot, of course, resist it on moral/religious grounds.  Others, are against it because they are traditionalists.  They see it as an encroachment on the culture and a menace to time-honored values, and as such, a threat to social order and society itself. 

With respect to the former, it is difficult to argue against one's religious beliefs/teachings.  They are what they are.  I happen to believe those teachings are misguided, especially if you think (which I do) that homosexuality is principally pre-determined, not learned. 

As far as the societal threat issue is concerned, I find those anxieties to be seriously misplaced.  Maybe I'm overly simplistic, but in a world with a great deal of conflict and hatred, shouldn't the overriding cultural concern be promotion of strong and loving family units, irrespective of whether they are comprised of heterosexual or homosexual couples?  Don't we trace much of what's wrong in the country—poorly educated children, wide availability and use of drugs, violence, etc.—to a general erosion of the family?  If that's the case, then why not enable greater family formation?  Same-sex marriage isn't the panacea, but it is a step in the right direction—a direction that comes down in favor of strong relationships over discrimination.

If we all applied a bit more common sense and a little less ideology, I'm pretty sure we would be much better off.  Why diminish/devalue ourselves through exclusion?